Electric devices and electronic devices, including standalone PCs (personal computers), laptop PCs, mobile terminals such as smartphones, and tablet PCs, are commonly equipped with a circuit board with electronic components mounted thereon and another circuit board with other electronic components mounted thereon.
A connector described in PLT 1 set forth below is a connector for coupling these two circuit boards together and includes a receptacle connector mounted on a circuit board (a rigid board) and a plug connector mounted on another circuit board (a rigid board). The receptacle connector includes a receptacle insulator, a plurality of receptacle contacts, and a pair of receptacle connector fixing brackets. The receptacle insulator includes an annular outer peripheral wall and an annular engagement recess formed inside the outer peripheral wall. A plurality of receptacle contacts are aligned in a longitudinal direction of the receptacle connector and supported by the receptacle insulator. The pair of receptacle connector fixing brackets is fixed to the receptacle insulator.
On the other hand, the plug connector includes a plug insulator, a plurality of plug contacts, and a pair of plug connector fixing brackets. The plug insulator includes an annular projection formed by an annular wall that can fit into the engagement recess mentioned above. Each of the plug contacts may be coupled to a circuit pattern on a mounting surface of the circuit board. The plug connector fixing brackets may be coupled to a conduction detection pattern formed on the mounting surface.
When the annular projection of the plug connector is fitted into (coupled to) the engagement recess of the receptacle connector, the plug contacts come into contact with the corresponding receptacle contacts. Thus, the electronic components mounted on the circuit board having the receptacle connector mounted thereon and the electronic components mounted on the circuit board having the plug connector mounted thereon are electrically connected to each other.
When recesses formed on a surface of the plug contacts are engaged with protrusions formed on the receptacle contact, the plug connector fixing bracket contacts an elastic contact member of the receptacle connector fixing bracket. As a result, the conduction detection pattern of the circuit board having the receptacle connector mounted thereon and the conduction detection pattern of the circuit board having the plug connector mounted thereon electrically connect to each other. Thus, the connection between the receptacle contacts and the plug contacts (the electrical connection between the circuit pattern of the circuit board having the receptacle connector mounted thereon and the circuit pattern of the circuit board having the plug connector mounted thereon) can be realized.